Job applicant refuses to give up Facebook login

Justin Bassett got an unusual request at a recent job interview: he was asked to hand over his Facebook login credentials.

Bassett, who refused to provide the information and promptly withdrew his application, was surprised by the interviewer's request. He considered it a blatant invasion of privacy and made the split-second decision that he didn't want to work for any employer that would take such a cavalier attitude towards its employees' personal information (the full story can be found here).

As surprising as this story may be, however, it's not entirely unprecedented. Many employers are tuing to social networks to snoop for information not just on potential employees, but current ones as well. Recall recently a Canadian woman, Nathalie Blanchard, who lost her sick leave benefits after photos of herself on vacation surfaced on Facebook.

Asking someone to give up their personal login information is definitely a step too far, if not several. But there are risks involved with sharing too much of ourselves on social networks. We simply don't always know who's reading about us. One potentially incriminating photograph, fairly or unfairly, can cost you a job – or prevent you from getting one.

For further reading on the subject at Working.com:

Polish up your cyberspace image

Those Facebook posts could cost you a job